CMMS vs ITSM: Why ServiceNow Doesn't Work for Maintenance

I’ve seen this scenario play out dozens of times in my years supporting facilities teams. The IT department implements ServiceNow across the organization. It transforms their service desk operations. Incident tickets flow smoothly. SLAs are tracked meticulously. The CIO is thrilled.

Then someone says: “We should use ServiceNow for facilities maintenance too. We already have the licenses.”

Six months later, the facilities team is frustrated, maintenance backlogs are growing, and the CFO is wondering why they spent $400,000 on a system that the maintenance team actively avoids using.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: ServiceNow is exceptional software. But it’s built for managing IT services, not maintaining physical assets. The difference matters more than most organizations realize.

Understanding the Fundamental Difference: ITSM vs CMMS

What ITSM Platforms Like ServiceNow Do Best

ServiceNow Workplace Service Delivery is facility management software that automates and simplifies workplace tasks. The platform was recognized as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for Worldwide SaaS and Cloud-Enabled Facility Management Applications 2024-2025.

ServiceNow’s core strengths include:

• Employee self-service portals: Making it easy for employees to reserve spaces and request services
• Workplace reservation management: Visual scheduling for desks, meeting rooms, and resources with calendar integrations
• Visitor management: Pre-registration, approvals, parking assignments, badge printing, and status updates
• Real-time analytics: Monitoring activities and space utilization from a single workspace
• AI-powered automation: Delivering frictionless workplace services with intelligent routing

These capabilities excel at managing workplace services and employee requests. ServiceNow follows the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) framework, which emphasizes incident management, problem management, and change management for IT services.

What CMMS Platforms Are Built to Handle

CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) software is an essential platform engineered to ensure the reliability and longevity of equipment, streamline maintenance workflows, and support regulatory compliance.

CMMS platforms focus on the maintenance phase of the asset lifecycle, offering powerful tools for:

• Preventive maintenance scheduling: Calendar-based and meter-based PM tasks with automatic work order generation
• Asset lifecycle management: Tracking equipment from installation through retirement with complete maintenance history
• Spare parts inventory: Managing stock levels, reorder points, and parts usage by asset
• Work order management: Detailed job planning with task lists, required parts, and estimated labor hours
• Offline mobile capabilities: Technicians can access and update work orders without internet connectivity
• Compliance documentation: Audit trails for safety inspections, regulatory requirements, and warranty tracking

The fundamental difference? ITSM focuses on reactive incident resolution for digital services, while CMMS is designed for proactive maintenance of physical assets.

The Cultural Mismatch: IT Service Desk vs Maintenance Operations

Different Mindsets for Different Work

IT service desk teams and maintenance teams solve different types of problems, which shapes how they think about work management.

IT Service Desk Mindset (ITIL Framework):

• Incident-driven: User reports problem → Technician resolves issue → Ticket closed
• Success metric: Mean time to resolution (MTTR) for incidents
• Reactive by design: Problems arrive unpredictably, team responds quickly
• Change management: Carefully controlled changes to minimize service disruption
• SLA focus: Meeting response time commitments for different priority levels

Maintenance Operations Mindset:

• Proactive by design: Prevent failures before they occur through scheduled maintenance
• Success metric: Equipment uptime and maintenance cost per operating hour
• Asset-centric: Every action connects to specific equipment with maintenance history
• Resource planning: Scheduling work around parts availability and technician skills
• Compliance-driven: Regulatory inspections, safety checks, and warranty requirements

I worked with a healthcare facilities director who described it perfectly: “When IT gets a ticket that a printer is down, they troubleshoot and fix it. When we get a call that a sterilizer is down, we need to know: When was it last serviced? What parts are in inventory? Is there a backup unit? What procedures are delayed? Has the biomedical team been notified? That’s not a service desk ticket. That’s asset management.”

The Work Order vs Service Ticket Distinction

This difference becomes concrete when you compare how work is documented:

ITSM Service Ticket:

Incident #12847
Category: Hardware → Desktop → Printer
Priority: P3 - Medium
Description: Printer in Room 401 not printing
Resolution: Replaced toner cartridge, cleared paper jam
Time to resolve: 45 minutes
Status: Closed

CMMS Work Order:

Work Order #3392
Asset: Chiller Unit CH-02 (Building B, Mechanical Room)
Work Type: Preventive Maintenance (Quarterly)
PM Template: HVAC Chiller Quarterly Service
Tasks:
  ☑ Inspect refrigerant levels (R-134a: 87 PSI - Normal)
  ☑ Check compressor oil level (Topped off: 0.5 gallons added)
  ☑ Clean condenser coils
  ☑ Test safety controls
  ☑ Verify setpoint temperature (42°F setpoint, 43°F actual)
Parts Used: Compressor oil (Stock #OIL-CH-134) - 0.5 gal
Labor: 2.5 hours (Technician: James Wong)
Next PM Due: April 21, 2026
Asset Hours at Service: 8,847 operating hours
Status: Completed, asset operational

See the difference? The CMMS work order tracks asset condition, parts consumption, maintenance history, and schedules the next service. The ITSM ticket tracks incident resolution time.

ServiceNow’s Workplace Service Delivery Module: What It Does and Doesn’t Do

What ServiceNow Workspace Service Delivery Actually Handles

ServiceNow’s facilities module has evolved significantly. The platform offers several capabilities designed for workplace management:

Space and Desk Booking: ServiceNow excels at managing reservable spaces. Employees can view available meeting rooms, desks in hot-desking environments, and other resources through an intuitive interface with calendar integration.

Employee Service Requests: The familiar ServiceNow portal makes it easy for building occupants to submit maintenance requests: “Conference room projector not working” or “HVAC too cold in Suite 300.”

Vendor Management: The platform can track vendor service-level agreements and coordinate third-party service providers, particularly for contracted services like landscaping or cleaning.

Basic Asset Tracking: ServiceNow can maintain a database of facility assets and their locations, which helps with capital planning and budgeting.

Reporting and Analytics: Strong reporting capabilities for space utilization, request volumes, and service level performance.

Critical Gaps for Maintenance Teams

Despite these capabilities, ServiceNow Workplace Service Delivery has significant limitations for hands-on maintenance operations:

No Preventive Maintenance Scheduling Engine: ServiceNow can create recurring tickets, but it lacks the sophisticated PM scheduling that maintenance teams need. CMMS platforms schedule maintenance based on:

• Calendar intervals (every 30 days, quarterly, annually)
• Meter readings (every 500 operating hours, every 10,000 miles)
• Condition triggers (when vibration levels exceed threshold)
• Seasonal requirements (prepare HVAC before summer/winter)
• Regulatory compliance deadlines (annual fire alarm inspection)

A facilities manager at a manufacturing plant told me: “We tried using ServiceNow for our PM program. But we couldn’t schedule maintenance based on machine runtime hours. We couldn’t automatically adjust PM frequency based on equipment usage. We ended up with a spreadsheet tracking our actual PMs and ServiceNow just for reporting to corporate.”

Limited Parts and Inventory Management: Maintenance work is inseparable from spare parts management. When a technician completes a PM on a pump, they need to:

• See which replacement parts are in stock
• Reserve parts for the job
• Document parts used on the work order
• Trigger reorder when stock hits minimum level
• Track parts costs by asset

ServiceNow’s inventory capabilities are designed for IT asset tracking (laptops, monitors, phones), not consumable spare parts management.

Insufficient Asset Maintenance History: IT asset management tracks purchase date, warranty status, and assignment. Facilities asset management needs:

• Complete maintenance history with all work orders
• Parts replacement records (when was the belt last changed?)
• Failure patterns and reliability metrics
• Condition assessment data (vibration readings, temperature logs)
• Manufacturer specifications and manuals
• Cost tracking (maintenance cost per operating hour)

Weak Offline Mobile Functionality: This is a deal-breaker for many maintenance teams. ServiceNow’s mobile app requires internet connectivity for most functions. But maintenance technicians routinely work in:

• Basement mechanical rooms (no cell signal)
• Rooftop equipment areas (weak connectivity)
• Remote facilities (limited WiFi coverage)
• Industrial environments (WiFi restricted for security)

CMMS platforms with reliable offline mobile apps let technicians access work orders, update task completion, capture photos, and record meter readings without connectivity. Data syncs automatically when connection is restored.

No Specialized Maintenance Workflows: CMMS platforms include purpose-built workflows for:

• Lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures
• Multi-step inspection checklists with conditional logic
• Approval workflows for emergency vs routine work
• Warranty claim documentation
• Energy management and utility tracking

The Cost Reality: Total Cost of Ownership Comparison

ServiceNow Licensing and Implementation Costs

Let’s talk about what it actually costs to implement ServiceNow for facilities management.

Licensing: ServiceNow Workplace Service Delivery licensing typically ranges from $100-300 per user per month, depending on the feature set and organization size. For a facilities team of 20 technicians and supervisors, that’s $24,000-72,000 annually in licensing alone.

Implementation and Customization: Organizations evaluating ServiceNow for facilities management should consider: the platform requires experienced implementation partners, significant customization to match facilities workflows, and integration with building management systems.

Implementation costs frequently exceed $300,000 for mid-size organizations, with timelines extending 6-12 months. The challenge lies not in the technology itself, but in putting it into practice.

Ongoing Administration: ServiceNow requires dedicated administrators familiar with the platform. As the documentation notes, organizations must consider: “Do you have IT staff available to help with system upgrades, troubleshooting, or installation issues?”

Many facilities teams end up dependent on IT departments for basic configuration changes, creating bottlenecks when they need to adjust workflows or add new equipment types.

Purpose-Built CMMS Costs

Compare this to CMMS pricing:

Licensing: Most CMMS platforms range from $20-70 per user per month. For the same 20-person facilities team, annual licensing costs $4,800-16,800, roughly one-fifth of ServiceNow’s licensing.

Implementation: CMMS implementations typically complete in 6-12 weeks with total costs of $10,000-50,000 for mid-size organizations. Many cloud-based CMMS platforms offer guided onboarding that facilities teams can manage internally without extensive consulting support.

Administration: CMMS platforms are designed for facilities managers to administer directly. Adding new equipment, creating PM templates, and adjusting workflows doesn’t require technical expertise or IT department involvement.

Total First-Year Costs:

The cost difference is substantial. Even if your organization already has ServiceNow licenses for IT, the Workplace Service Delivery module requires additional licensing and significant customization investment.

When ITSM and CMMS Should Work Together (Not Replace Each Other)

The Integration Strategy That Actually Works

The most successful facilities operations I’ve seen use both systems in their designed roles:

ServiceNow Handles:

• Employee-facing request portal (single point of contact for all workplace services)
• Initial request triage and categorization
• IT asset management (computers, phones, network equipment)
• Workplace services (space reservations, visitor management)
• Executive dashboards and cross-departmental reporting

CMMS Handles:

• Maintenance work order creation and assignment
• Preventive maintenance scheduling and execution
• Asset lifecycle management and maintenance history
• Spare parts inventory and procurement
• Technician mobile work order management
• Equipment-specific workflows and compliance tracking

The Handoff: When an employee submits a facilities request in ServiceNow, the integration automatically:

1. Creates a corresponding work order in the CMMS
2. Links the work order to the appropriate asset
3. Assigns it to the maintenance team based on trade and availability
4. Syncs status updates back to ServiceNow so the requester sees progress
5. Closes the ServiceNow ticket when CMMS work order is completed

This approach gives employees the familiar ServiceNow interface for submitting requests while giving maintenance teams the purpose-built tools they need to execute the work efficiently.

Case Example: Healthcare System Integration

A 600-bed healthcare system I worked with implemented exactly this strategy:

The Situation:

• ServiceNow already deployed enterprise-wide for IT service management
• Facilities team using paper work orders and Excel spreadsheets
• Hospital administration wanted “one system” for all service requests

The Solution:

• Implemented CMMS for facilities team with 35 technicians
• Integrated CMMS with ServiceNow using API connection
• Nurses and staff submit facilities requests through ServiceNow portal
• Maintenance supervisors manage work in CMMS with full asset context

The Results:

• Request-to-resolution visibility for hospital administration
• Maintenance team got proper PM scheduling and asset tracking
• Integration cost: $15,000 (vs $400K+ to customize ServiceNow)
• 9-week implementation (vs 8-12 month ServiceNow customization)
• Preventive maintenance compliance increased from 67% to 94%
• Maintenance backlog reduced by 41% within six months

The director of facilities maintenance told me: “We gave administration what they wanted, visibility into our work through ServiceNow, while giving our technicians what they needed: real maintenance management software.”

Making the Right Choice for Your Facilities Team

When ServiceNow Might Be Sufficient

ServiceNow Workplace Service Delivery can work adequately for organizations with:

Limited Physical Asset Maintenance:

• Office environments with primarily furniture and technology
• Most maintenance contracted to vendors
• Minimal in-house maintenance staff (fewer than 5 technicians)
• No complex equipment requiring preventive maintenance programs

Focus on Workplace Services:

• Space management and hot-desking are primary concerns
• Visitor management and access control are critical
• Integration with corporate ServiceNow deployment provides significant value
• Maintenance is truly “run to failure” with reactive repairs only

When Purpose-Built CMMS Is Essential

Your facilities team needs a dedicated CMMS if you have:

Complex Asset Portfolios:

• HVAC systems, boilers, chillers requiring regular maintenance
• Manufacturing equipment with PM schedules based on operating hours
• Life safety systems (fire alarms, sprinklers) with compliance requirements
• Medical equipment requiring biomedical maintenance programs
• Fleet vehicles requiring scheduled maintenance

Proactive Maintenance Programs:

• Preventive maintenance schedules critical to operations
• Condition-based maintenance using sensor data or inspections
• Regulatory compliance requirements (Joint Commission, OSHA, EPA)
• Equipment reliability and uptime are competitive advantages

Field Maintenance Operations:

• Technicians work in areas without reliable connectivity
• Multi-site operations requiring route optimization
• Inventory management for consumable spare parts
• Mobile access to equipment manuals and procedures

Resource Planning Requirements:

• Work order backlog management and scheduling
• Technician skill-based assignment and capacity planning
• Parts procurement and vendor coordination
• Maintenance cost tracking by asset and department

The Decision Framework

Ask your team these questions:

1. Do we need preventive maintenance scheduling? If yes, CMMS is essential.

2. Do our technicians work offline frequently? If yes, choose CMMS with reliable offline mobile capabilities.

3. Is spare parts inventory management critical to our operations? If yes, CMMS provides purpose-built functionality.

4. Do we have compliance requirements for equipment maintenance? If yes, CMMS audit trails and documentation are designed for this.

5. Are we trying to build on our existing ServiceNow investment? If yes, consider CMMS with strong ServiceNow integration rather than extending ServiceNow into facilities.

6. What’s our total facilities team size? Under 5 people with simple maintenance needs might manage with ServiceNow. Teams of 10+ technicians managing complex assets need CMMS.

Related Resources

For deeper exploration of these topics:

• IT vs Operations: Who Should Own Your CMMS? - Navigate the organizational dynamics of CMMS implementation
• CMMS vs EAM vs CAFM: Understanding the Differences - Compare related facilities management software categories
• SLA Management for Facility Teams - Build service level agreements that balance responsiveness with proactive maintenance
• Work Order Response Time Optimization - Improve maintenance team performance without sacrificing quality
• Maintenance Workflow Automation Guide - Streamline processes without over-complicating systems
• CMMS for Data Centers - Industry-specific considerations for mission-critical facilities

The Bottom Line: Right Tool for the Right Job

ServiceNow is remarkable software. Its capabilities for IT service management, workplace services, and employee experience are industry-leading. Organizations that have invested in ServiceNow should absolutely use it for what it does best.

But facilities maintenance is a specialized discipline that requires purpose-built software. Trying to force an ITSM platform to do CMMS work creates frustration for maintenance teams, incomplete functionality for operations, and surprisingly high costs for organizations.

The good news? You don’t have to choose one or the other. Modern CMMS platforms integrate directly with ServiceNow, giving employees the unified request experience while giving maintenance teams the specialized tools they need.

The maintenance team gets preventive maintenance scheduling, asset lifecycle management, spare parts inventory, and offline mobile capabilities. The organization gets visibility, metrics, and integration with enterprise systems. IT gets to focus on managing IT services rather than trying to customize ServiceNow for a use case it wasn’t designed for.

That’s not a compromise. It’s recognizing that maintenance management and IT service management are different disciplines that deserve specialized tools. Your facilities team works hard to keep your organization running. Give them software built for how they actually work.

Ready to see how purpose-built CMMS software supports maintenance teams? Book a demo with Infodeck to explore preventive maintenance scheduling, mobile work orders with offline capability, asset lifecycle management, and ServiceNow integration options. Or start a free trial to experience the difference firsthand.